When it comes to paying bills and applying for loans, black women are disproportionately at a disadvantage compared to their white counterparts.

The study, which polled nearly 2,000 men and women, brings into question whether black women's tendency to care for family and friends outside the home could be part of what's holding them back.

The majority of black women (60 percent) said they've lent money to friends and family, compared to 52 percent of white women. Black women were also 10 percent more likely to care for elderly family members than whites.

And the divisions extend beyond the home, with 7 percent more black women reporting issues paying off medical bills than white women. About one-quarter of black women said they had issues getting loans, compared to 16 percent of white women.

And three times as many black men reported issues paying off mortgage loans than whites. The number of black men who said they had difficulty securing a loan was double that of white men.

Apart from finances, the majority of black women (74 percent) said they thought it'd be very difficult to get the right education needed to score a well-paying job. Just over half of white women shared the sentiment.

But overall, black women were slightly more optimistic than about their finances than white men and women. The number of white men and women who said they were "very satisfied" has declined since 2006, while 5 percent more black women agreed this year.